Personal note: The following is a newspaper column I wrote last year before I had this blog. Though a few of the references are dated (for example, Rick Reilly no longer writes for Sport's Illustrated, etc.), I believe the issues are just as relevant as one year ago. You won't hear much about these topics during Super Bowl week.
America is a country where hype is a part of every day life, and we are about to enter a week that ranks a "10" on the Hype-O-Meter.
This week the hype surrounding the Super Bowl will kick into overdrive. Yes, it is that time of year as pundits from all walks of life will dissect the game.
By kickoff, the media hype will reach excruciating levels as the same information will be rehashed over and over again. As much as I like football, the hype really is an exercise in futility.
Never have so many media members said so much with so little content, and nobody will be happier than the National Football League.
When ranking organizations that know how to control the media, the NFL has to rank near the top. The league is a popular, money-making machine, and because of this, the media often seems to take a hands-off approach when covering the league.
For example, why don't we see more reporting about issues relating to steroids and human growth hormone?
True, the league does have a steroids testing policy, but the media rarely forces the issue when covering the league.
Conversely, the media seemingly cannot get enough when it comes to the steroids controversy in baseball.
When former slugger Mark McGuire was recently kept out of the baseball hall of fame because of the steroids issue, both electronic and print media beat the story into the ground until it was six feet under.
This was despite the fact baseball had no steroids policy when McGuire played, and he never failed a steroids test.
Compare that with the treatment the media gave San Diego Chargers' linebacker Shawne Merriman after his suspension for violating the NFL’s steroid policy this year.
Merriman was suspended four games for the violation, but there was little media hand wringing.
His transgression was quickly forgotten as he was elected to the Pro Bowl and was a finalist for league defensive player of the year.
New league commissioner Roger Goodell will give a "State of the League" speech during Super Bowl week. My guess is the media will ask few questions about Merriman and the message his incident sent to the public.
In another area, consider the lack of coverage regarding the long-term health problems NFL players often face after their playing days are over.
For example, former Philadelphia Eagles safety Andre Waters committed suicide last November.
When physicians examined Waters' brain, they found he had the brain of an 85-year-old man with signs of Alzheimer's disease. Many experts believe this damage was the result of the repeated concussions Waters suffered during his playing career.
Players with long-term health problems extend far beyond Waters' problems. Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly wrote an excellent column earlier this year that dealt with the problem.
He described the plight of several now retired players.
For example, according to Reilly, former Oakland Raiders' center Jim Otto has had more than 60 operations, including 48 to his knees, three on his nose, three on his shoulders, and three on his back. Reilly wrote that Otto's ankle looks like "a science project."
Jim Plunkett, who quarterbacked in the NFL for 15 years, suffers from constant back and neck pain and has a spine so curved that he walks with a permanent tilt.
Former offensive lineman Dan Dierdorf now walks with a cane, and because of the head-first blocking technique he was taught, he is now two inches shorter than he was in college. He has two artificial hips and his ankle needs fusing. He joked in the article that he "has more titanium in my body than in my golf bag."
The list could go on and on, but I believe the picture is clear. When we watch the Super Bowl, the players will be sacrificing a lot more than their competitive spirit.
Shouldn't this trouble us? Shouldn't more questions be asked about this?
The answer is obviously 'yes' on both counts. The media is supposed to be the mouthpiece for the public, but my guess is they will ask few questions about this.
To paraphrase Shakespeare, the game is the thing. It seems to be all that matters.
The NFL is truly coated in Teflon.
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You know, I don't think it's fair that the only cities eligible to host the Super Bowl either have indoor facilities or are in states with warm weather in Jan/Feb. During the regular season, football is played in cold/rainy/snowy weather. That's always been one of it's more endearing quirks. That is, it may be pouring rain and 45 degrees, but the game goes on. Playing in cold weather every other year would certainly ramp up the excitement level of the Super Bowl (plus it would allow EVERY NFL city to get in on the Super Bowl largesse). If you ever write another newspaper column on the Super Bowl, I'd like to suggest cold weather games as a possible subject. As Mr. Jimmy would say, that needs to be brung out!
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